The outbreak spread to neighbouring and nearby countries, particularly Liberia and Sierra Leone, and became the largest ever known outbreak of this disease. Prolonged virus persistence in survivors led to episodes of recrudesence in all three countries.

The outbreak continued for over two years and a total of 28,616 confirmed, probable and suspected cases were reported in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone, with 11,310 deaths.

Spain: one case in a healthcare worker involved in the care of patients repatriated from West Africa

United Kingdom: a case was imported into Scotland in December 2014. This was the first Ebola case to be detected in the UK. The patient was a healthcare worker who had been working in an Ebola treatment centre in Sierra Leone

United States: a single EVD case was imported from Liberia into Texas in September 2014. Transmission to two healthcare workers subsequently occurred. A further case of EVD was confirmed in a humanitarian aid worker who returned from Guinea in October 2014